Welcome to the Round of the Saintly Sixteen! With Barbara's defeat at the hands of Thomas Ken 67% to 33%, we've collectively narrowed the field down from 32 saints to 16. Now the truly hard work begins on the journey towards the 2015 Golden Halo.
Lent Madness, like Lent, is part endurance race and we encourage those who have come thus far — both voters and contestants — to buckle down for the duration and, in the words of Saint Paul, to “Run with perseverance the race that is set before you.”
In this round, we move past basic biographies and delve into what we like to call “Quirks and Quotes.” We’ll learn some unusual facts about our saints and hear about them, either in their own words or in words uttered or written about them. Some of our holy men and women are quirkier than others and some are more quotable. As always, remember these matchups are neither fair nor for the faint of heart. If you want a bland Lenten devotion you’ve come to the wrong place.
The Saintly Sixteen begins today with Brendan the Navigator taking on Thecla. If you need a refresher from the first round you can do one of two things: consult your handy Saintly Scorecard or click the Bracket tab and scroll down. Our Bracket Czar, Adam Thomas, provides links to every previous matchup meaning you can, with just a few clicks, access the initial bios. Now go read and vote. There is work to be done!
Brendan the Navigator
Brendan lived a long a full life in service to God. His courageous and adventurous spirit led him to the ends of the world. The many hagiographies written to honor him speak to the inspiration he provided to the faithful. Even the most fantastic stories give a glimpse of his extraordinary character.
As Brendan and his friends set out to sea he insisted that they follow Jesus’ command to the seventy that they bring no provisions, trusting that God would provide all their needs. He encouraged his fellow travelers, “Fear not, brothers, for our God will be to us a helper, a mariner, and a pilot; take the oars and helm, keep the sails set, and may God do unto us, his servants and his little vessel, as he wills.”
A little later, they encountered a maiden of the sea. She was enormous — one hundred feet tall, nine feet between her “paps,” and a middle finger seven feet long. She had been pierced with a giant spear and had died. Brendan brought her back to life and baptized her into the faith. Upon baptizing her, Brendan asked if she would like to return to her home or if she would like to go to heaven. She answered, “To heaven, for I hear the voices of the angels praising the mighty God.” Brendan therefore gave her the body and blood of Christ and she died without distress.
In Brendan’s travels he saw both the horrors of hell and the glories of paradise. In one particularly poignant episode, he and his companions found themselves in a great storm of hail and snow. Some of the brothers complained to him, “Holy father, the cold in the infernal regions is not more intense than what we feel now.”
To this Brendan replied, “You speak like ignorant rustics. We have seen Judas, the betrayer of our Lord, in a dreadful sea, on the Lord’s Day, wailing and lamenting, seated on a rugged and slimy rock… Against the rock there rushed a fiery wave from the east, and a wave of icy coldness from the west alternately, which drenched Judas in a frightful manner; and yet this grievous punishment seemed to him a relief from pain, for thus the mercy of God granted this place to him on Sundays as some ease amidst his torments. What therefore must be the torments suffered in hell itself?”
For five years they traveled without injury or incident. At one point they needed to find land in order to properly celebrate the Easter Eucharist. Brendan encouraged his friends with the promise that “God is able to provide us with land in any place he pleases.” God’s good pleasure was the back of a whale named Jasconius.
After a long and full life, Brendan died. As he died, he raised his eyes to heaven, and echoing the words of Christ, uttered, “Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit; save me, O Lord my God.”
Thecla
Thecla is among the earliest saints of the church, and is often referred to as “Equal-to-the-Apostles,” for the fervor of her witness to Jesus Christ and the power of her example.
While the story of her life as documented in the Acts of Paul and Thecla may raise a few eyebrows – with its scintillating accounts of Thecla twice making miraculous escapes from martyrdom, including a notable self-baptism by throwing herself into a pool filled with ravenous seals – Thecla’s life and ministry made an undeniable and well-documented impact on the early church.
The great Cappadocian Father Gregory of Nyssa hailed Thecla as an example of holiness and asceticism in one of his homilies, writing that “she undertook the sacrifice of herself, by giving death to the flesh and practicing great austerities, extinguishing in herself all earthly affections, so that nothing seemed to remain living in her but reason and spirit.” His comments resonate with the Acts of Paul and Thecla, which intimate that Thecla belonged to a wealthy family of status and privilege, and that, as Butler noted in his Lives of the Saints, “She forsook father and mother, and a house abounding in gold and riches where she lived in state and plenty: she left her companions, friends, and country, desiring to possess only the treasure of the love and grace of God, and to find Jesus Christ, who was all things to her.”
Early Christians almost unanimously regarded Thecla as a protomartyr, even though she did not die a martyr's death. In the sense that the word martyr comes from the Greek word meaning witness -- one who bears testimony to their faith with the whole fullness of their life -- Thecla most certainly meets that definition.
Perhaps the great affinity for Thecla among so many came from the reality that in her, they saw a picture of themselves. In the portrait of a woman pursuing great risk to hear the gospel as preached by Paul, early Christians could see the risks they bore in order to hear and preach the gospel. In the vision of a woman who the powers of the world would have put to death many times over, they found an exemplar for what it means to be a witness to Jesus Christ, even at the cost of their own lives.
Thecla’s own confession of faith, recorded in the Acts of Paul and Thecla, are perhaps the most simple yet persuasive testimony to the power of her witness in the face of adversity: “I am a servant of the living God, and as to my state, I am a believer on Jesus Christ his Son, in whom God is well pleased. For that reason none of the beasts could touch me. He alone is the way to eternal salvation and the foundation of eternal life. He is a refuge to those who are in distress, a support to the afflicted, a hope and a defense to those who are hopeless.”
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205 comments on “Brendan the Navigator vs. Thecla”
Brendan go bragh!
I love the stories of both these Saints and voted for each of them in the first round. Oh, the madness of choices! Brendon and Thecla have led me to ponder the risk early Christians took as the navigated the waters of a pagan world. What great examples of risking all to follow Jesus and of God's saving grace! I will vote for Thecla to honor the women who were also Apostles but were left out of the Canon of Scripture. She must have been every bit as impressive as Paul!
Thecla's story, which was new to me, is inspiring! I voted for her last time and she continues to impress and inspire me. Brendon's meanderings seem more like a way to test God's faithfulness .
I liked them both. Tough choice, but in the end it's Thecla for me. There's too many others that are dissin' her.
I love the fact that Thecla is scriptural and an example to common life.
I thought Brendan would be a shoo-in for my vote, but Thecla gave me pause! However, Brendan won the day - for me. Not looking good for him overall right now!
Servant woman, woman warrior; an apocrophal sister. Without early Christians of such passion where would we be now?
Having voted for the Illuminator in the first round, I voted this time for Brendan as Most Improved, in thanksgiving for the supersession of "Hahaha, I never asked directions" by "Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit; save me, O Lord my God." Just goes to show that even when it comes to last words a second chance can be transforming.
I suppose I should add a disclaimer to the effect that my vote has nothing whatever to do with the fact that my great-grandfather John Jackson Davis, the Marine from Skibbereen, is said to have earned his U.S. citizenship through service on board the Constellation during the Civil War. Nor is it against women, who I agree have been getting the short end of the Golden Stick this year, or against Iconians. Indeed some of my best friends, including Fr. Tim, are iconic.
I see the comments are starting to get snippier and more holier-than-thou this round. Oh well. This was tough, but Thecla won out. Sorry, Frederick Buechner.
Gosh, Charles, I hope the placement of your comment after mine is just an unfortunate juxtaposition. I certainly meant no offense.
But even looking back over all of today's comments so far, I don't find the ones to which you refer -- certainly not by comparison with several of the viperous depths of Round One.
i am with you. Neither impresses nor inspires me.
I would add that some are taking this way too seriously. Lighten up folks. It's just a simple Lenten exercise in getting to know some past people of faith. It's not a culture/social/gender war!
I hear that! Sisterhood is powerful! Let's stick together. Thecla it is. And, between her and Dorcas, I'm not sure who had to deal with more taunting for having the ugliest name of any woman around!
It was a hard decision but I was won over by Thecla, who despite going up against ravenous seals, was determined to be baptized. You go, Thecla!
I must say that I don't understand the lack of hand wringing and theological head shaking over Thecla's self baptism as compared to the conditional rebaptism scandal of a couple of days ago.
As a life long navigator, I must vote for Brendan. For unlike him I never in 30 years headed to sea without provisions. I have great faith in God, but fail that high mark. He is therefore a saint to inspire and a great one for me!
Just a note:The quote in the lead paragraph of today's posting ("Run with perseverance... ") is from the anonymous book of Hebrews. While Paul has been suggested as the author there have been others including Barnabas and Apollos. Best to just refer to the book.
Brenden is an adventurer.
Voted for neither in the first round so came to today with no inclinations either way. Swayed in the end by Thecla's confession. Besides, how could Gregory of Nyssa be wrong. (Still troubled by a lack of empathy for animal welfare - ravenous seals that are slain, using the back of a whale as land...)
Thekla for me! Not only do I relate, but she is the name of what was my brave, faithful cat. This definitely sets her apart!
The additional information about Thecla in today's blog made me admire her even more. I didn't find the "ravenous seals" as unbelievable as some since we have historical evidence of the Romans throwing Christians to all sorts of hungry animals (not just lions).
The seals got a whole lot more credible when I realized -- though I don't claim to be an expert on seal-exploitation -- that all you probably have to do to make a seal ravenous enough to eat a saint is to starve it. The Romans certainly were capable of that.
Both good candidates but had to vote for Thecla. She speaks to me.
I always seem to vote for the loser. Go Brenden
A man may take to the sea alone without provisions....but to insist others do the same is not my style of evangelism.
Having flown across the ocean as a navigator for the Air Force, I was often the only person awake on the plane. (The co-pilot was awake making radio calls, the auto pilot was flying was taking care of the plane)
Many prayers were said as I reviewed my primitive calculations (pre-GPS) . This was pencil and paper stuff. I have to give Brendan the nod.
Seals again ... vs. "You speak like ignorant rustics." How fun!
When I was still a teenager and teaching Sunday School, one of my students asked me, "Does God love Satan?" In the few seconds I had to come up with an answer, I assured my student, "Yes, God loves everybody, even Satan." The idea that even Judas gets a sabbath rest from hell gave Brendan my vote today.
I always vote first and then look at the results and the comments. I'm stunned by how far ahead Thecla is. I didn't vote for her in the first round, either. Mysteries never cease!
Well, it does seem both of these people did indeed live: Brendan all over the aisles founding monesteries and churches long before going off (maybe) on fantastical voyages. Then again, to get around the Isles rather necessitates interesting, if not fantastical, voyages. Thecla either really did live or is representative of other women who chose Christ in the first century and suffered for it; I suppose the embroideries helped those suffering to think, if they could do that, surely I can sing before the lions or gladiators or crucifiers or whoever the authorities are sending to kill me. The comment of Thecla's and other saints' stories giving strength to our suffering siblings now in Syria, Pakistan and so on is compelling.
"We have this hope, a sure and certain anchor for the soul."
Though it doesn't sound like Brendan used his anchor very often, I'll go with his willingness to set sail in the Lord's service.
Read Tim Severin's The Brendan Voyage, 1979. The hagiography reads fantastic, but Tim's recreation of the voyage following the sources gives credence to the liklihood that Brendan and others actually sailed to the New World long before Leif Ericsson and the Vikings. And I seem to recall he quoted some Viking complaint that they were finding a papar (priest or monk) on every rock across the Atlantic.
Thank you for the recommendation! I may have to start opening a tab with the library's catalog/hold system whenever I read the Lent Madness comments. There are some good book suggestions here.
Excellent book! Read it when it was first published and, coincidentally enough, just re-read it in January. Brendan was so much more than just a traveler or explorer - he founded so many monasteries and cells for monks, taught, and took the faith to so many lands, especially the west of Ireland, but not limited there by any means. It's funny, as I read the comments, I get the feeling a majority seem to say they're voting for Brendan, but he's getting trounced in the voting. Theckla is inspiring, though.
With strong appreciation of Millie's comments, and honor for Thecla as an unsung Apostle, I offer these thoughts on Brendan.
He did not just sail in circles and accomplish nothing.
I went back to my beloved book: Celtic Daily Prayer and re-read the section on Brendan. It is titled "In Exploration of a Vision". The gist of it is that Brendan followed a call from God to enter into a wilderness journey, letting go of everything familiar, and seeking "the land of promise". To quote Celtic Daily Prayer: "Slight explanation surrounds all these happenings in the deep. Was Brendan's voyage just vivid imaginings in his sleep? ---- The distinction between actual events and interior vision and experiences is not always clear.......Yet real voyages were undertaken, and Tim Severin's "Brendan's Voyage" makes interesting reading, as time and again (the author) and his crew found that they were replicating experiences described so poetically in the Brendan accounts, that others had dismissed as fantasy." So, my takeaway is that there was a physical leaving and journeying over the waters AND there was a spiritual journey deeper into relationship with our Beloved ONE.
And then, there was a return. When Brendan and his companions found "day without night" - the land of promise, "then came a messenger who spoke to them by name, explaining: ....Return, your mission now is over. God who did call you here, now bids you go. Return in peace, then, to your native shore and tell the mighty secrets that you know." So he did. "Brendan returned to his earlier task of the founding of monasteries, schools for the gospel, support for the faithful. Still he would follow the flight of the wild goose, the call of the Spirit to seek God's adventures; and so for ten years around Britain he travelled, engaging in mission and visiting others to strengthen in service and learn from their wisdom."
I think I'm waxing on and on because I'm a bit troubled by the disdain I hear in the comments about "fantastical" accounts, which to me are merely attempts to explain with words the inexplicable encounters with God. And there seems to be a thread of belittling mystical experiences in favor of those who actually "do something".
Maybe it's the spiritual director in me. I can't speak strongly enough in affirming the "both/and" of contemplation AND action; taking the interior journey AND bringing it to fruition in daily life. So, my vote today is for Brendan. (with love for Thecla)
Susan, I deeply appreciate the depth of your research and sharing about Brendon! After reading this I almost wished I could change my vote. I loved the stories of both these saints, mostly because of the great truth of their witnesses expressed in the myths. I'm one who has struggled with some of the "fantastical" reports in the hagiographies and my struggle has been part of my spiritual journey this Lent. While Brenden's adventures sound, in part, an attempt to describe his inward journey - beautifully so - others just sound like the politician's publicity agent hawking them for Sainthood or something. And yet, I am coming to see the great struggle of the early church to spread the Gospel in the early years in the midst of much competition and highly possible persecution. Possibly these stories invited and encouraged Followers to recognize God's presence and saving grace. I'm still working on this!
Brendan's not a loser!
Tell 'em, Donna! Since it's so close to St. Patrick's Day (and I'm of Irish heritage, so probably a little biased!) I was really hoping for Brendan and Brigid in the finals. But Brendan's definitely not a loser. What faith.
Brendan's never a loser but I also hoped that the St. Patrick would pull some strings for Brendan and Brigid. Oh well.
Thanks, Susan!
Thank you Susan! I'm most drawn to Brendan. I grateful for your great defense and history of his life.
To sail out upon the seas of life, trusting in God's grace… and finding it there upon the way. A journey for us all.
Bless you Brendan.
I like how Brendan's tales recapitulate Talmudic folk tales of the sea--all haggadic midrash on the sea monsters of Job (and implied in Genesis 1).
I appreciate Thecla's witness, but Brendan's witness transformed a whole nation, and many people right up to the present. His great immram inspired and continued to inspire deep relationship with the Holy, as well as service to the Holy in others.
Thanks for the new word of the day (for me) "imram" - although I still voted for Thecla.
My vote is for Brendan. Who doesn't yearn to celebrate the Easter Vigil on the back of a whale? I wonder if that whale got a little crispy from the Easter Fire...